SEVERAL Cebuano standouts are set to strut their stuff in the UAAP basketball wars as the 78th season starts today at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
In the first game, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons hope to kick off their campaign on a victorious note when they battle the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors.
The Diliman-based Maroons are set to go all in with a Cebuano-powered crew led by two former Cesafi juniors MVPs in Paul Desiderio and Janjan Jaboneta. Aside from the two, UP also has veteran Dave Moralde, shooter Pio Longa and long-time guard Henry Asilum.
The Red Warriors, on the other hand, aim to start the rebuilding process as soon as possible. They already boast of some solid pieces, which feature former University of San Carlos big man Shannon Gagate.
The second game of today’s twinbill will see the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers taking on the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
UST’s frontline gained a boost when it snagged the services of former Ateneo de Cebu standout Zachy Huang, while Adamson has its own trio of former Cesafi stalwarts in Joseph Nalos, Gerald Fernandez and yet another ex-Cesafi juniors MVP, Dawn Ochea.